Hawthorne strays, lost pets will now be housed within city limits

A trio of dogs awaits adoption at the SPCALA shelter in Hawthorne, which will now accept stray animals found within the city of Hawthorne. Until now, Hawthorne strays were taken to Carson LACo shelter.
Brad Graverson — Staff Photographer

Hawthorne >> For years, employees of the animal shelter in Hawthorne have been forced to turn away those trying to drop off lost and stray animals found in town.

The city, they explain, contracts with the county shelter in Carson for animal services, so the good Samaritans will have to drive there.

“People get upset when they’re here, because they think they’ve done a nice thing and they just want to drop a dog off,” said Madeline Bernstein, president of spcaLA, which operates the pet adoption center in Hawthorne and another in Long Beach.

In Carson, there’s often a long line at the shelter to drop off a found animal or look for one that’s gone missing. Some Hawthorne residents get so frustrated with the process, they tie up the found or unwanted dog or cat outside the spcaLA shelter in Hawthorne and drive off.

But that will change beginning Sept. 1.

The city of Hawthorne has announced it will contract with the nonprofit spcaLA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles) for animal sheltering at its location at 12910 S. Yukon Ave. Residents also will have the option of calling the Hawthorne Police Department’s Animal Control Department to pick up the animal from their home.

The Hawthorne Police Department said the change is in the best interest of residents. The city has contracted with the Carson shelter for the past 15 years.

“Gone will be the days of citizens traveling all the way to the city of Carson to drop off strays that were located roaming the streets of Hawthorne,” the department said in a press release. “We believe that this convenient shelter location will encourage more citizens to take a proactive approach to caring for loose animals.”

The department said pet licensing and boarding service fees at the spcaLA facility will be comparable to those at the Carson shelter. Hawthorne residents must have proper animal licensing to pick up pets from any shelter.

The spcaLA shelter contracts with the cities of Culver City, West Hollywood and Lawndale, among others, Bernstein said, but has room to serve Hawthorne’s animals needs as well.

Although the number of dogs entering shelters nationwide is decreasing, the Carson shelter is still inundated with drop-offs during the summer.

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The Carson shelter receives “a nice handful” of animals from Hawthorne every other week, said L.A. County Animal Care and Control Sgt. Justin Guzman.

How will the Hawthorne move impact operations at the Carson shelter, and will it lead to fewer animals being euthanized?

Nothing is certain at this point, shelter employees say.

“It’s going to alleviate some of the weight off of our shoulders,” Guzman said. “Maybe more people will stop by the Hawthorne shelter who wouldn’t have bothered driving down here because it’s a bit of a drive. That might make a big difference. Hopefully, it does.”

Bernstein recommended that pet owners microchip their animals and ensure they are wearing a visible ID tag.

“Most lost dogs are not found by someone with a microchip scanner. They’re found by people who will look for a tag,” she said.

Bernstein emphasized that anyone who finds a lost pet must take it to the shelter that serves the city where they found it.

“If you live in Gardena, and someone brings your dog here (in Hawthorne), you would go to Gardena and not find your dog,” she said.